


speculation

by ballerinaroy



Series: together or not at all [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:56:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22722799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ballerinaroy/pseuds/ballerinaroy
Summary: Trying to escape the rampant rumors about his brother's love life, Percy visits George.
Relationships: background Harry Potter/Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger
Series: together or not at all [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1632493
Comments: 4
Kudos: 202





	speculation

**Author's Note:**

> [Inspired by this comment from](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22442983/comments/280931512) [ConfusedArchaeologist.](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConfusedArchaeologist/pseuds/ConfusedArchaeologist)

When they went out in droves, it was inevitable that they’d be recognized but when he wasn’t with his family, Percy found that he still managed to maintain a fairly private life. He couldn’t hide from his family’s signature red hair but often he was presumed to be another Weasley, a cousin or otherwise more distant relative of the famous ones.

All of this suited Percy just fine. His career had continued to blossom in the two years since the war had ended and he and his family had reconciled and he was on good enough terms with them all. But then….Ronald.

His brother had always had a knack for subverting norms, but this was beyond what Percy had ever anticipated.

“Did you hear?”

“Potter, Weasley and Granger.”

All-day and endless. Whispers right around the corner and right under his nose.

The details of the note hadn’t been released to the general public but somehow everyone seemed to know, or at least have a good speculation. He tried keeping his head down, not involving himself in the conversations but by lunch the Wednesday following the disaster of a weekend he couldn’t stand another moment of it.

Which was how he found himself in the Leaky Cauldron, trying to read through the paper as another gossiping duo sitting in the booth behind him began to whisper about it.

“You know, I heard that Hermione found out about them.”

“Harry and Ron?”

“For years, right under her nose.”

“If that were true then why would they have bothered?” Percy snapped, unable to hear his brother dragged through the mud.

The two witches looked up in surprise. The lighter haired one looked him up and down dismissively. “We were having a private conversation thank-you very much.”

“No really,” Percy instead. “If Ron and Harry had been together they why would they’ve bothered hiding it?”

The blonde closest to him snorted dismissively. “Probably didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She had a nasty streak in school you know she-“

But her friend, who evidently wasn’t as clueless about who he was, cut off her friend by grabbing her arm. She spoke in an animated tone. “What do you know? Where'd they go?”

“That’s none of your business,” Percy said hotly, feeling his face grow red.

“But you know!” she insisted. “Is it true that Hermione went back to the muggle world?”

Of all things.Percy gaped at her, at a loss for words.

“Is everything alright?”

Percy turned to find the barmaid that had taken his order standing there, his food floating in front of her. As he looked around he could see that everyone around had stopped their talking and was watching their exchange with interest.

“Fine,” Percy said, his face redder than ever. The last thing he wanted was to be caught up in the scandal with his own face in the paper the next day. “If it’s no trouble I’d like that to go.”

The blonde barmaid nodded, grasping his arm gently and urging him to follow her. He did so without protest, picking up his cloak and hat, following her to the bar.

“Sorry about them,” the barmaid said sympathetically, waving her wand to wrap up his untouched meal he no longer had the appetite for. “I keep trying to shut it down but whenever I do they start asking too many questions.”

Still fishing through his coin pouch for the right change, Percy nodded, distractedly.

“Have you heard from them?” she asked quietly.

Percy looked up, ready to snap at her feeling rather like she’d tried to gain his trust by being sympathetic. But there was something genuine in her expression. “No, we haven’t.”

“Do you know if Harry’s with them?” she went on. “And I wouldn’t ask but Seamus said he was really upset a couple weeks ago and no one’s been able to get in touch.”

Her concern was evident, and the name Seamus rang a bell, but he’d no clue who she was. Thankfully she took pity on him.

“Hannah Abbott,” she offered, gesturing to herself. “I was in their year. And in Dumbledore’s army.”

Her face, which had been tugging at the edge of his memory suddenly came into sharp focus. She’d been there, on the outskirts of Ron’s friends for years. In fact, she’d been one of the ones to mill around the day of the wedding, helping tear down chairs and pack away the decorations that’d already been set out.

“Sorry,” he apologized, “Everyone’s been prying.”

“I’m not trying to,” she said with conviction. “We’re just worried about him. Harry’s seemed off for a while and now he’s nowhere to be found. I was going to owl Ginny but since you stopped in-“

“Last we hear he’s with them,” he offered. “But we haven’t heard anything since they ran off.” Despite their mother’s best efforts.

But the small bit of information was evidently enough for relief flooded her features. “Thank goodness, I’d hate to think that Harry ran off on his own.”

She took his sickles off the counter and tossed them into the till pushing his meal towards him.

He paused. “Aren’t you curious?”

“About what?” she asked.

It’d been all everyone was talking about. “Why the wedding was called off.”

And to his utter surprise, Hannah gave a casual shrug. The same reaction he’d been met with by George and Ginny that fateful morning when he’d arrived to his mother sobbing and his siblings sitting around the table drinking tea as if it were any other day.

“None of my business really,” Hannah replied. “When they get around to telling us I’m sure they will.”

Not for the first time since the weekend, Percy felt like he was missing something important. He himself couldn’t really comprehend what had happened.

“We just wanted to make sure Harry was alright. So long as they’re all together then there’s nothing to worry about.”

Stupidly, Percy nodded as she looked up at the half-full dining room and summoned some menus from across the room.

“Listen, I’m not about to go telling everyone, but is it alright to tell Neville and them?”

Percy nodded, having no reason for her not to.

“Hang in there,” she told him, setting off to greet some newcomers. “It’ll die down soon enough.”

With half his lunch hour still remaining, Percy set off Diagon Alley, intent on visiting his brother. He found George in the backroom, pouring over some documents and looking bored. George looked relieved to see him if only for the distraction of not having to read.

“What are you working on?” Percy asked, leaning over the desk to try and catch a title.

“New regulations on doxy venom,” George said, shaking his head. “If this passes then we’ll to have to change the whole formula on the nosebleed nougats.”

“Do professors really still fall for that?” Percy asked.

“Probably not,” he said honestly. “But they still sell well enough. What brings you in?”

“I was having lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, throughout I might stop in.”

“Should have let me know, I could go for something,” George said, eyeing the leftovers Percy had half-forgotten.

“Feel free.” Percy passed them over, having lost his appetite. “I needed a break from the office.”

“Gossip getting to you?” George said knowingly, tearing into the still-hot sandwich at once. “I’ve been hiding out all day. I was trying to do inventory this morning and couldn’t count to ten without someone coming up and asking me about them.”

Percy nodded, taking a seat on what looked like an innocent enough crate.

“It’ll die down,” George said confidently, “it always does.”

“That’s what the barmaid said.”

“Hannah?” George asked and Percy nodded.

“She was asking about Harry, wanted to know if he was with them,” Percy explained. “She said she was worried about him.”

“I think we’ve all been,” George said through a mouthful of food. And there it was again, the flippant attitude he’d been met from from the moment the note had been found. George evidently noticed the confusion on his face and explained. “He’s been acting weird for weeks now. Not when you were with him mind, but when he thought no one was paying attention he’d start staring at them with the saddest look in his eyes. I thought it was just because he was going to miss them but Ginny called it.”

Percy stared down at his hands. “You think they’re together.”

“Yes,” George said at once.

“I mean, _together?_ ”

“I know what you meant,” George replied without malice. “Yes, I do.”

And the question that he’d been afraid to ask slipped out. “Why? I mean, not that I’ve got anything against Harry but, Ron was happy with Hermione. Why couldn’t they all just stay on course?”

George smiled at him sympathetically and licked the sauce from his fingers before speaking. “They’ve been through more than anyone I’ve ever known. Ron was only twelve when he followed Harry down that trapdoor. It’s always been Harry. That summer, when he thought Harry was in danger he was distraught, always worried about him. And when mum and dad wouldn’t listen he begged us to help him. Said if we wouldn’t he’d learn how to drive the car himself. And Ron’s not twelve anymore but he’d still do anything for him.”

And Percy knew this. Had watched his little brother go from being Ron to being as synonymous with Harry as Fred and George had been.

“They’ve fought twice you know, _twice_.” George went on. “I don’t know anyone with a friendship that strong. It just makes sense.”

“But, Hermione,” Percy pleaded.

George gave a shrug. “I’m not sure how the pieces are going to fit together with the three of them. But they’ve always made it work. If they want to they’ll figure this out too.”

“And it doesn’t bother you?” Percy asked, feeling childish for saying it.

“That Ron likes men?” George asked and there was a defensive twinge of anger in his tone.

“No,” Percy said, “That he’s with two people.”

He shook his head at once. “We’ve lost so much. And even putting that aside, if I had two people that loved me like they love Ron, you’d better believe I’d be opening up my door.”

Percy stayed quiet. Ever since he’d reconciled with his family he’d been careful about voicing dissent. The last time he had….

“You’re uncomfortable with it,” George pointed out and Percy couldn’t help but nod.

“It’s not Harry,” Percy insisted, “Honestly. I just don’t understand why they’re doing this to themselves. Or why they had to run out without explaining themselves. We don’t even really know what this means.”

“Have you ever been in love?” George asked him. Percy shook his head. “Me either, not like theirs anyway. Maybe it’s just one of those things we’ll understand when we’re older.”

“But why this? And why now? It’s all anyone’s going to be talking about for ages.”

“People already talk about them,” he pointed out. “Never let that stop them before.”

That much was clear. Percy couldn’t remember the last news cycle that had gone by without him spotting his brother’s name in one of the bylines.

“Ginny really called it then?”

George rolled his eyes. “I hate it when she’s right, we’ll never hear the end of it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Have an idea for what you'd like to see next? Leave a comment! I love hearing your ideas.
> 
> [Follow me on Tumblr! ](https://ballerinaroy.tumblr.com/)


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